Family History

The history of Internet challenges is a bit of an embarrassing one. Though the overwhelming popularity of the "ice bucket challenge" raised over $115 million for ALS research, it also led to many injuries and mishaps. The more recent "bird box challenge" has brought disastrous consequences, but finally there's an Internet challenge that brings nothing but joy.

More Family History Features

Stacie Kingdon Proctor was 18 months old when her parents divorced. As she grew up, she moved schools 18 times before the 10th grade. Though she loved her parents and sought connection in each new place she moved, Stacie’s life felt perpetually fragmented. As an adult, Stacie left an unhappy marriage, compounding feelings of disconnection. She felt hopeless, helpless and alone. She was desperate for a sense of connection—a sense of belonging--and didn't know where to find it.

The popular, free genealogy website, FamilySearch.org, announced its 2019 plans to enhance its record search and Family Tree search capabilities and introduce new interactive discovery experiences. In addition to over 300 million additional historical records and images for family history discoveries, look for the following new offerings in 2019.

For Church members, the ultimate temple and family history goal is to provide saving ordinances for their ancestors. The new Ordinances Ready feature in the FamilySearch Family Tree app searches and finds ordinances that need to be done for people you are related to.

Over the last few years I have been reading my great-grandfather's journal, yearning to know his soul. His entry for April 2, 1892 had a real impact on me: “I received a letter from Mother but no letters from my dear family & on this account I was very sad & uneasy.” I pictured my beloved forebear far from home feeling anxious and lonely. I desired to provide him a letter. My heart proclaimed: “I will write him!” even as my mind wondered how to send a message to the past.

RootsTech has announced that Saroo Brierley will be the keynote speaker at RootsTech on Friday, March 1, 2019. Brierley is well known for his remarkable family reunification story as depicted in the 2016 film Lion, which is an adaptation of Brierley’s autobiography, A Long Way Home.

On Veterans Day 2018 this Sunday, the world will look back a century to the victory of Allied forces and the signing of the Armistice that marked the end of World War I. With that signing, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the world rejoiced. In memory of those who served, FamilySearch has added millions of new, free historical records to help families discover more about their WWI veteran ancestors.